PLEURAL EFFUSIONS-TB

SUMMARY

1. Think TB in patients with primary TB, fevers and weight loss

INVESTIGATIONS
2. Pleural fluid: lymphocytosis

3. Pleural adenosine deaminase (ADA)

4. Serum interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA)

5. Nucleic acid amplification

6. Mycobacterium tuberculosis direct (MTD)

7. Xpert MTB/RIF or MTBDRPlus: for detection of TB and rifampicin or INH resistance

8. VATS assisted pleural biopsy with AFB stains, smears, culture

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].